Tangled Threads
“We are enjoying being back in the States and settling into our new home. I (Mary Lou) was in southern California to speak for a Ladies’ Christmas Brunch. I love the opportunity to speak to women about Jesus and this was a beautiful event. It was a blessing for me to be there and I felt the Lord was speaking through me. Included with this newsletter is the Christmas poem I wrote, which tied in with my message.”
Tangled Threads by Mary Lou Tiner
She wandered through the Christmas shop, perusing every shelf.
Ignoring crystal turtledoves, and Santa’s favorite elf.
Her hair was white, her eyes blue-gray, deep wrinkles etched her brow,
Her search to find the perfect gift had failed her until now.
She walked past twinkling Christmas trees, adorned with blue and white,
With golden angels, gleaming stars, but nothing seemed quite right.
The teenage girl who worked the shop showed off their very best,
But the old woman shook her head and kept on with her quest.
When suddenly she saw the thing that brightened her gray eyes,
Behind the snow globe and the bells, she found the perfect prize.
It looked like an old tattered cloth, with frayed and ragged string.
Why was the woman thrilled to find this useless, ugly thing?
She brought it to the cashier’s desk and gently laid it down.
The teenage girl looked quite dismayed; she couldn’t hide her frown.
“Why, Ma’am, you can’t be serious. This item’s clearly flawed.”
“I’m not sure how this got in here; the fabric looks all gnawed.”
A twinkle in her old gray eyes, the woman beamed with pride,
“Oh, I have found a treasure here!” she looked quite satisfied.
She didn’t see the tangled threads; ignored the knotted mess;
She recognized a masterpiece, though no else would guess.
Unfolding it, she held it up, to let the shop girl see,
And as the cloth was turned around, she saw reality.
It was a lovely tapestry, a priceless work of art,
A picture made from woven threads, created from the heart.
“This tapestry is just like me,” the woman smiled and said.
“Most of my life I only saw the tangled, knotted thread.”
“I focused on the problems then; I never understood.”
“And I would shake my fist at God; I never saw the good.”
“That’s when the Savior spoke my name, He called so tenderly.”
“He turned the cloth around for me – to show His tapestry.’”
“Each struggle I have faced became a part of His design.”
“The Lord brought beauty from the mess, to let His glory shine.”
What will you choose to focus on – the frayed and tangled thread?
This Christmas will you choose to see His plan for you instead?*